Finding the Rainbow After the Storm in ‘Pages of Hope’
Julia Tarantino singing in Pages of Hope. (Photo: Alexandra Cordato)
A young girl battles a malicious enemy who throws repeated, unrelenting blows with no mercy. She struggles to find hope through the constant attacks, making her question her own mortality. She prepares for the possibility of not being able to finish her story, but she stays strong with the help of her friends and family by her side.
The villain in this story? Cancer.
On July 26th, ImpACT Theatre, a non-profit theatre group based in Staten Island, presented an original musical, Pages of Hope, performed at Salem Church on Clove Road. Written by Alyssa Mazzone, Dahlia Lau, and Julia Tarantino, the performance is based on a true story, following the heart-wrenching journey of Julia Tarantino, a local Staten Islander who had, for the last two years, battled Stage 3 adrenocortical carcinoma, or cancer of the adrenal glands.
The play starts with Julia, played by herself, starting 7th grade at the ripe age of twelve. She was nervous like all kids her age about making new friends and staying connected with her old ones. Everything seemed fine until a sharp, stabbing pain went through her shoulder and stomach.
Throughout the performance, Julia faces the reality of having cancer through tear-jerking scenes of cutting her hair to prepare for chemotherapy, constant surgeries, and scans that showed the recurrent tumors that caused her so much pain. She continually writes in a journal through the difficulties she's met with throughout her journey as a coping mechanism, and as a way to communicate her thoughts to the audience through a type of fourth-wall break.
The play was beautifully performed by the young actors of ImpACT Theatre, and the whole audience emptied the boxes of tissues provided in the rows of seats. Maggie Tessitore played Julia’s younger sister Avery, an adorable girl who acted as Julia’s rock throughout her journey.
Skylar Lipkin and Sean Penias played Julia’s parents, Heidi and Jake, respectively. Their commitment to Julia’s health and happiness challenged their own emotions; how could something like this happen to their daughter? But, through their constant support and positive outlook, Julia stayed strong.
Kaitlynn Intartaglio and Carly Jennewein played Katie and Rachel, respectively, as Julia’s supportive friends through it all, who also provided some much needed comic relief through this heavy topic. Nadia Anwar acted as Megan, Dr. Blake, and Dr. Johnson along with Matthew DeSimone as Dr. Ben and Alessandra Bergesio as Dr. Alex, who all drove the emotional plotline forward with great, versatile acting.
The stage was intelligently layed out into three sections: a bed on the left side of the stage was used for scenes in the hospital as well as in Julia’s bedroom, a table and chairs were placed on the right side acting as a dining table in Julia’s home, and the front of the stage was a place for Julia to write in her journal and read to the audience her thoughts through all of the challenges she faced.
The performance was met with a standing ovation. Alyssa Mazzone concluded the show with a speech filled with thanks and appreciation for the actors, stage crew, musicians, and families involved with the show. Julia Tarantino also made a statement thanking all who was involved, as well as for the opportunity to tell her story. She joked, “I hope this inspired you more than it upset you,” which was met with a mix of laughs and sniffles from the audience.
Despite her struggles, Julia remembered this one quote which she stated during a scene in the hospital: “There’s a rainbow after every rainstorm.” Julia hopes that her story will inspire others to keep pushing on even when difficulties arise in life.
ImpACT Theatre is a non-profit organization who brings awareness about a variety of topics through the art of theatre. Skeletons in closets, things that were avoided and hidden in previous generations, are addressed, and the recognition of overlooked themes are encouraged through on-stage performance. Through inspiring productions and events, ImpACT Theatre is committed to raising funds and awareness about a variety of causes, such as advocating for health including mental health and disability awareness. The organization also works to provide affordable theatre education and to boost up the Staten Island community. To learn more, visit: https://sites.google.com/impacttheatre.org/impact-theatre/ and follow on Instagram at @impacttheatre.ny
Alexandra Cordato is an interdisciplinary artist and student currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts at the Fashion Institute of Technology. As a young artist in an urban setting, Alexandra finds inspiration all around her, especially the mundane or overlooked. She strives to make the unnoticed noticed through her work utilizing skills in oil painting, printmaking, and sculpture. She is now branching out to experiment with other artistic mediums that she deeply appreciates, such as writing and zine-making. Besides creating art, Alexandra enjoys being an experimentalist barista and reading contemporary memoirs. @lexyydraws